Synopsis

The rich farmer Gervais forces his son Baptiste to marry the equally rich Ange, which means that he will have to break his vows to the poor Margareta, who became blind. While Baptiste curses himself for not being able to withstand his father’s pushing, a chorus of bridesmaids is heard from behind the scene, singing 'De wegen sier’ bloesem, de velden tooi’ kruid” (The roads bath in blossoms, the fields in scents). The marriage is programmed for the very next morning. The bride plays, sings and dances with the chorus of bridesmaids. Ange then notices the fortuneteller Jeanne, who warns her. Although Ange mocks the fortuneteller, she leaves the bridesmaids terrified. Once Jeanne is removed from the festivities, the celebration continues. Along with her bridesmaids, Ange sings her aria, ‘We gaan ons vermeien!’ (We are going to have a good time). Paul arrives on the scene accompanied from his blind sister, while the chorus of bridesmaids passes. Paul is sad because he and Margaret have not been invited to the wedding. Once the blind girl learns who the groom is, she urges her brother to go there anyway, saying that she will arrive just a bit after him. Once alone she sings her arioso ‘Mijn doodsklok luidt!…’ (The bells of death ring for me). Jeanne greets Margareta. She pretends to be oblivious of the proceedings and asks Jeanne if Baptiste is about to arrive, since Jeanne once prophesized that she would marry him. Jean then advises her to pray to God, in order to make her love Baptise less.

Once Jeanne is gone it turns out that Margareta has deliberately pretended to be unaware of Baptiste’s betrayal. Thoughts of death take root in her. Paul returns, upset with the injustice done to his sister, yet sad also that he can’t join in the merry celebrations. Margareta tells him to just go and join the procession, since she has relieved Baptise of his vow on the day she turned blind. Paul shouldn’t be concerned about her fate. The falling night should not concern him, since day and night are the same to her. Gervais urges Baptiste to keep his word, which signals his aria of despair, ‘O Margareta, ik heb mijn ziel verkocht’ (O Margareta, I have sold my soul). Margareta arrives. They sing a duet interrupted by the chorus of bridesmaids. Pity and love arise in Gervais simultaneously, yet when Margareta embraces him, happy to be near him again, he pushes her away and leaves her in misery.

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</div>Gervais brings his son to Ange’s house and doesn't care for Baptiste’s indifference. Aiming not to provoke his son too much, he merely toasts to the bride, while Baptiste starts drinking heavily. The procession then marches up the stairs in the rock that lead to the chapel. Paul and Jeanne have joined the procession. Once the ceremony starts and singing can be heard from the chapel, Margareta is seen wandering in the surroundings. Against a background of a priest’s chorus that blesses the couple, she sings her madness aria, “Krassende raven, zwieren om de toren” (Shrieking ravens warble around the tower; excerpts of this aria and of 'O Margareta' can be heard in the video trailer here presented of 401Concerts 3):